There is now a two-team tie for first in the AFC West with the Chiefs win and Broncos loss Sunday afternoon. The Chargers aren’t far behind either after their win against the Raiders. As the regular season winds down with only five weeks remaining, every game is crucial in this playoff hunt.
Here’s a look at how the AFC West matches up this week.
Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders, Thursday 8:30pm EST
This storied rivalry will get a primetime feature this week, unfortunately it’s a lopsided matchup.
The Oakland Raiders are 0-10, have lost 16 straight, and haven’t won a game in a full calendar year after their loss to the San Diego Chargers in Week 11. Oakland’s last win came on November 17, 2013, as Matt McGloin led them to a 28-23 victory over the Houston Texans; it’s been an uphill battle for the silver and black since then.
In Sunday’s loss, the defense played well enough to win, only allowing 13 points to the Chargers, but the offense was utterly nonexistent. They couldn’t run, they couldn’t pass, they couldn’t convert on third down, they just couldn’t get anything going offensively. Derek Carr had the worst game of his young career completing only 16 passes. The 23-year-old quarterback also tweaked a quadriceps in the first quarter of Sunday’s game, but is expected to start Thursday night. A silver lining in Sunday’s loss was Latavius Murray who had four carries for 43 yards; only he was able to create a spark in the Raiders run game, earning him some more playing time for this week’s matchup.
When it comes to the Chiefs, they are 7-3 and tied for first in the West after their 24-20 win over the Seattle Seahawks. KC wide receivers have yet to score a touchdown, which has drawn some attention, but it really doesn’t matter because they are winning games regardless.
Jamaal Charles’ big day propelled the Chiefs to their fifth consecutive win. The running back had 20 carries and ran for 159 yards with two touchdowns. He also averaged 8 yards per carry Sunday.
The Chiefs defense made quite a few dominating stops to keep the Seahawks off the board in tense situations. They denied Seattle a fourth down conversion on three different occasions in the fourth quarter last week. KC greatly improved their position in the AFC playoff picture with an impressive W against the defending Super Bowl Champs, and this week, they will face a weaker opponent as they pursue their sixth consecutive win and a solo spot in first.
KC has the best passing defense in the league, and they will be going up against a pass heavy offense in the Raiders, that, honestly, isn’t very successful at all. The Raiders offense is ranked 26th with only 2,134 yards. Their run game is by far the worst in the league with only 630 yards with a meer 184 attempts. The Chiefs ground game is near the top at number four with 1,412 yards, the difference is quite stunning. Oakland will have their hands full in this one. KC can execute with both the run game and the pass game, while the Raiders are struggling on offense. It will be up to the defense to make big plays, but the Chiefs are on a roll and should take this one easily.
Final Prediction: Raiders 13 Chiefs 35
St. Louis Rams at San Diego Chargers, Sunday 4:05pm EST
The Rams are coming off a huge upset of the Denver Broncos, defeating them 22-7. It was Shaun Hill’s first game back, replacing Austin Davis. The Rams defense was able to get to Manning as he threw two costly interceptions. St. Louis was also able to establish a run game against Denver’s defense which is one of the best against the ground game. Tre Mason had 113 rush yards, which is the most allowed by the Broncos this season.
Denver was denied twice on fourth down by the Rams defense, which has performed extremely well against some of the better offenses in the league. With their win on Sunday, the Rams are now 4-6. Their four wins have come against the Broncos, Seahawks, 49ers, and the Buccaneers.
The Chargers are coming off a 13-6 win over the winless Raiders, but were less than impressive in doing so. Before Week 11’s matchup, the Chargers were struggling and had lost three in a row. The bye week came at the perfect time for the Bolts as they were able to heal up and regroup. They are now 6-4, and only a game out of the West.
Quarterback Philip Rivers did get banged up a bit Sunday. He hurt his right leg during the game and aggravated sore ribs when Khalil Mack recorded his first career sack, but Rivers is a competitor and has been able to play through minor injuries.
Their offense wasn’t overwhelmingly successful against the Raiders defense. They scored only one touchdown which came after a turnover on the first play of the game.
The Chargers welcomed back Manti Te’o, Ryan Mathews, and Melvin Ingram back to action last week. They had each been out since September.
This will make for an interesting matchup. The Rams record doesn’t mirror the talent they have on the roster. They have been able to beat some of the best teams in the league, and have performed extremely well in their four wins. They carry over a lot of momentum this week against the Chargers, who are struggling. They snapped their three-game losing streak, but didn’t play well in their win against the Raiders.
Final Prediction: Rams 24 Chargers 17
Miami Dolphins at Denver Broncos, Sunday 4:25pm EST
The Miami Dolphins are 6-4 and in second place of the AFC East right behind the Patriots. They had a crucial win last Thursday against the Bills, 22-9, as they make their playoff push. Ryan Tannehill got off to a shaky start, but recovered nicely with 240 yards and two touchdowns. The Dolphins offense had trouble finding the endzone, that is until they were able to put it all together in the second half.
Miami’s defense held off the Bills offense. Their defense is ranked second-best overall in the league, allowing 3,025 yards for an average of 302.5 yards per game. They are also ranked second in pass defense, right behind the Chiefs.
The Dolphins defense will have to contain Peyton Manning and the Denver offense this week. Despite the Broncos losing to the Rams Sunday, the sheriff threw for 389 yards, but only had one touchdown pass.
The Broncos were stifled by the Rams defense last week, and couldn’t get a good rhythm going offensively. They struggled to score points and Manning’s two picks just made matters worse.
Denver did suffer a few injuries with Montee Ball expected to miss 2-3 weeks with a groin injury, but Julius Thomas’s ankle injury has been ruled as minor, so he may not miss any time. Emmanuel Sanders was also taken out of Sunday’s loss early due to a concussion.
Tannehill is a big part of the Dolphins offense, but so is their run game. Miami has ran the ball for 1,273 yards this season, seventh-best, while the Broncos are second-best defensively against the run.
Denver’s offense is ranked second when it comes to the pass game, which should be an interesting battle with the second-best pass defense in the league.
Final Prediction: Dolphins 14 Broncos 23